Autoplow.



A: KUEF'ER.

AUTOPLOW.

APPLlcMsoN man Nov.2s,1e14.

Patented May 8, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fn VEHZZyf.

A. KUEFER AUTOPLOW.

APPLlCATlON FAILED NOV. 23. 19144 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

l ,225,339. Patented May 8, 1917.

A. KUEFER.

AUTOPLOW.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 23. I9I4.

Patented May 8, ISB?.

I l I l l l I .ANTHGNY Rn'nRmroiUroLnnd/onio, AssIGNon ronoiinrti ia. WILSON, TRUSTEE, or

TOLEDO,

-f RSTTESPATENT orricii.

Auroriiow.

1 baal, lw/tom tmag/ concern:

Be it known'that I, ANTHONY Kunriia, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Autoplows, of which the following is a specification. j My invention 'relates to improvements in auto plows, and has forts object to provide' an auto plow with improved means of transi A mitting thepower of the motor to the traction wheels hereby less power of the motor is expended in propellin'g the tractoritself, and'incieased power is utilized to dfaw its load.

A further obiect is to provide the tractor with@ improved means of steering and turning, whereby its turning is effected substantially within"y its o Wn length, by its own A. 1,' with the top of the casing removed.'-

Fig. 6 is a cross section lof the saine oii line tc-w of Fig. 5. i

Fig. 7 is-a plan view, partly in sectioinof an enlarged broken away portion of the main frame and of the Vmain axle and`one traction wheel, and showing the clutch mech-1.2.13'

vanism 'controlling theQtigictipn wheel enf larged, and 1 l .Figa 8 is an elevation of the same partly in Sectio:

Similar numerals refer to. similar partsthroughout the several views.' l f 1 is semi-circular ront'an ylparallelsides of the inain frame having ciioss ineirlbers 2, 8, 4 and 5; 6 is a irarne secured to2 and 3, in which is mounted the motor 7 with its crank shaft 8 central to and parallel with the sides of the main frame l. 9 designates a gear casing mounted oncross members 3 and et in line. with Athe shaft 8.

The means to rotate themain axle ll'and Martienwheels 12u-13 comprises a pair ofl Specification of I'ietters' lPatenti .1

:driving shaft to a driven sh 'verse the line oi the drivin 1 therefore, while adopting it for use in my Patented MayS, 1917.

.ippiicationmea Novemiie 23.11914. "."serii'm Masami.

Livormsf, one 'of said worms being' right and the other left hand threaded worms ifi-14 xedly mounted on Shaft l5 l'which is cou'- pled by coupling 16 tothe crank shaft. 8 of the motor "7.

the axle l1, andthe oppositewrnill inv like manner interineshes withthe worin gear 17, on the` auxiliary shaft 11, suitably .j ournaled in bearings '10 of the gear 65 casing 9, parallel with the axle ll, which is also journal'ed in bearings lOof the casing.

The axle'lland' shaft 1l are connected.y to each otherlby internieshin'g gears 17 rigthershaft`114- Thus constructed )and connectedV the parts constitute afwormfjdrive wherein the end thrust'of each worniY is 'balanced andneutralized'by the opposed end thrust ofthe 75 other, and thetwo equal worms jointly and v equallytransmit the full power of the Worin shaft, free fromv any yend thrustifriction,

to `two equal worm gears and through.r the worm gears tothe axlevll and thesh'aft'll 8o revolved at equal speeds, which being connected by two equal in terineshing gears, constitutes the whole, a single, balanced unit drive, v wherein the load on -the axle 1l is equally bornebyl said axle 1l and theshaft ll', and whereby the use of end thrust beai" ings' for the worm shaft, as well as the highly detrimental friction and wear incl de it thereto, is whollyavoided without me teriallyjcreating other friction, andthe weer Se isv so distributed among the parts that the i life of the whole is greatly proloiigcd However the means to rotate the main axle ll .and Vthe traction wheels 19.--13 as herein shown 'and described, constitute a separate 95 and distinct vinvention that is applicable as apower tran'siniseion wherever it isnecessary to transmit the rotary motion of a at is transpresent invention, -do n'ot limit' myself to its y use in the plow tractor 'herein described, and I vhereby declare" niylintention to make itv the subject of a 'separate application wherein .41,05

its novelty and utility as a power transmis! sion will be set forth'and broadlyblaiinedqf.

By` adapting and employing' my above'de-iff scribed drive to my ,present invention n thereby greatly. reduce the powerzexpend shaft, and I I" Ir ed "1 in propelling the plovv tractor itself, whereby an increased percentage of the power of thesmotor, is made available to draw the,`

plows.

The means to lift and lower'th'e plows 18-19 comprises the shaft 2O vvhich' is c'on-y when the sprockets are unclutclied.A v The *plow beams are piroted` to brackets- BPI-,w32-A which are secured to the main frame I. The )low beams are stayed from lateral 'lnotionf bv the slotted radial arms 33 34 Which-'fare: A

secured yto the frame l.

The studs 35 and 36 pass loosely thro hi` the slots 37 and are rigidly. secured ini-t e plow beams' 29-30. .The main axlelllisj mounted to revolve in bearings 3838.l l "and adapted to rotate horizontally, a steer! which are secured to the frame l. The trac-I tor wheels 12--13 mounted on axle 11A are'Y adapted to` engagement with clutches' 39 39. Said-"clutches are operated by bell cranks 4.0440 in connection with levers 'ele-lll. By thsfcon'struction means are pro-p, vided 'for differential movement 'of the trac-V tion Wheels steeringrandturningpas a steering'wheel by being mounted to re-4 volve in an annular an1e43 on 1ts axle 44 in the'bearings l5-'45 lsecured-'to' the cross,

members 46-46 of the frame 435; rlfhe under portion'l-T of the frame 13j/orma, the.r lower half of an annular ball raceiTheA -upper halfl 480i the ball race beingsecured to the circul'aryportion and cross-member 2 4of the frame l', 'with the balls 49 located between and keeping separate the lower and upper halves 47 and 48 of the ball race,

which form the annular ball bearing -of nected bythe chain -55 to the sprocket 56 the annular frame 43; asV means to horiaontally rotate the carrier frame 43, it has an annular gear 50 formed on its upperV which is mounted on the forward end of theshaft 57,'on the opposite end of which is rigidly mounted the'bevel gear 58, intermeshing bevel. gear 59* which is rigidly mounted on shaft 60 forming an extension 'of the steering wheel. column 61 by which the steering in controlled-by," the operator' occupymg seat convenientjto the operating levers.

The front carrier`wheel42 is adapted also What claimt-o new 1 .1. The combination ina tractor a main frame, a mainanda secondary' axle spaced l parallel and journaled transverse the main frame,` a pair of inte'nneshng du li'cate gears, one rigidly fixed on each o f Worm shaft spaced' 'and joumaled transverse the main and'fse'co'ndary axles, a. airL ofl 'j opposed' worms spaced and rigidly the l worm shaft, a pairxof tractor ,wheels ed on' ,the worm shaft and intermeshlng the .worml ff .wheels on the main and' secondaryy axle?A ,meansto rotate and reverse the rotation `o molubly mounted on the main'l axle,a pair offclutches, one toeach tractor wheel adaptf ed'; toclutch orfunclutch the saidwheels in"v vrelationfto the-main axle, meansto simultaneouslyv or separately operate saidclutches,

ain-annular frame secured to the mainframe ing wheel revolubly mounted in the annular frame. and lmeans tofrotate the annular 2.' rThecombination in a plow tractor,'of.

amainfram'e, a main driving axle journaledi transverse the main frame, a secondary axle parallel'with the lmainaxle in the same horizonta1. plane, a air of nterme'shin A duplicate gears,lone 'edly mounted on e main axle, andthe" other'o'nfthe secondaryaxle, a pair of worm'wheels, one havi .teeth oppositely pitched to the teethfofxtge y of'saidworm vvheelsl `Ailxedlyjlnolmted on the main axlefa'ndthe other" onithe sscondary axle; in thesaxne vertical plane' each m fixed relacionen-them .man upli.

cate gear, a worm shaftfjourn ed transversev the main and secndaryraxles in thevertical plane of the, worm wheels, a pair of worms '4 fixedly mounted hn the' wormjshaft, and

inter-meshing respectivelyvrthe worm wheels of the main and secondaryl axles, a'pair'of tractor wheels revolubly mounted on thev main axle, each having the nnerpend'of its hub adapted as a clutch member,;a.-com panion clutch member for eachv traction wheel slidably mounted on the main axle, and means to manuallyV operate the companion clutch members to each fengafe or disengage its respective traction whee In testimon whereof I 'have hereunto set -my hand. at l oledo, Ohio, this 21st day of November, 1914, in the presence of twrozaubscribing witn. l p Y v ANTHONY KUEEER. In presence of- Gnonon W. GAGHAN, Fnmnmox A. Braun. 

